Banking

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said American Honda Finance Corp. inaccurately reported 300,000 borrowers as delinquent who had paused loan payments during the pandemic.

President Trump has promised to reduce banking regulations, a form of indirect tax or "bank tariff," that will help the banking industry. But, he also plans to impose new tariffs on imports that may adversely impact agricultural and manufacturing industries and thus their banks.

The Alabama-based regional bank reported stronger earnings on a bump in capital markets fee revenue and lower expenses, but its total loans declined and its charge-offs increased. It expects only modest loan growth this year.

The super-regional bank plans to invest in talent, technology and certain locations in 2025, while keeping its expenses in check, to achieve the promise of the merger that created it, CEO Bill Rogers said.

The Connecticut-based bank outpaced the industry's muted loan growth last year. CEO John Ciulla said he expects further growth, citing business clients' "decidedly positive" bias.

Equifax agreed to resolve allegations that it failed to conduct proper investigations of consumer disputes, ignored evidence and allowed previously deleted inaccuracies to be reinstated on credit reports. The credit reporting bureau also shared inaccurate credit scores and data about consumers with lenders.

The investment banking giant has been the subject of regulatory probes regarding the way it vets prospective clients. So far, that's not driving away potential clients, executives say.

A midweek rally followed robust bottom-line results from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and several other large banks. But further interest rate cuts may be needed to sustain momentum.

The bank is "very optimistic" that Trump will appoint financial regulators who are "more balanced" than current agency heads, CFO Daryl Bible said.

The chairman of the financial institutions panel of the House Financial Services Committee said his newly reintroduced bill has a considerable chance of passing with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, told analysts she's not going to sacrifice growth-related investments for short-term gains. "You shouldn't want me to do that," she said.

Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf validates some of the optimism, telling analysts he feels "really great about our progress." But he said executives "don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

The $4 trillion-asset bank posted its highest-ever annual profit but also said its CEO succession plan is still in the works.

Advisors predicted that more banks will do deals and those transactions will be larger in 2025 amid expectations for lighter regulatory scrutiny.

The largest U.S. bank by assets has elevated Jennifer Piepszak to chief operating officer, in preparation for Daniel Pinto's retirement in 2026. But Piepszak is not interested in being CEO, the company said.

Banks seeking to offload CRE assets are finding a receptive marketplace while regulators have managed to keep the situation in balance, observers say.

The bank didn't give some existing customers the higher rates it was offering new customers, the agency alleged. The bank said it would fight the suit, which comes just days before the Trump administration takes over the regulator.

The top five banks and thrifts had combined assets of more than $13 trillion as of Sept. 30.